David Kunkee, The Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
/50 Years of Wave Propagation and Remote Sensing Science at the National Radio Science Meeting in Boulder - Commission F
50th Anniversary Plenary Speaker, Thursday, January 11, 2024
David Kunkee†, Thomas Hanley‡, Christopher Ruf§, and Mehmet Ogut* †The Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, CA; ‡JHU-APL, Baltimore, MD; §University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; *JPL, Pasadena, CA
Abstract: In 2024 we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Radio Science Meeting (NRSM) in Boulder, CO. The roots of Commission F can be traced back to the earlier commissions of the national committee, specifically Commission II involving ‘Radio and Non-Ionized Media.’ The change to Commission F was part of a reorganization of USNCURSI that occurred shortly after the meeting series began in Boulder in 1974. This was the beginning of present-day Commission F involving Wave Propagation and Remote Sensing.
Since 1978 the Commission F series of presentations at the Boulder NRSM has offered many opportunities for inquiry on important topics in radio science including atmospheric attenuation and ducting, propagation in complex media, Earth surface modelling, and application of new sensors and technology. Recently, modern approaches to remote sensing involving CubeSats and signals of opportunity, for example, are treated while leveraging the wealth of knowledge held by the Commission members and their close ties related to the various radio science disciplines represented within the USNC. One topic that has been featured routinely in Commission F sessions at Boulder involves the detailed characteristics of wave propagation through the Earth’s atmosphere. The Hans Liebe Lecture Series has been held at the NRSM since 2014 to honor his contributions in this area.
This talk will commemorate 50 years of wave propagation and remote sensing science within the U.S. radio science community at the NRSM Boulder meetings. It will summarize the history and growth of Commission F membership and its scope while suggesting important topics for future inquiry by its members. Accordingly, some topics to consider for the future include the advancement of Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) detection and techniques to control its negative impact on observations of the Earth, modeling and measurement of millimeterwave propagation in support of 5G and 6G networks, remote sensing of planets that may have sub-surface oceans, technology and techniques for the next generation of scientific instruments supporting remote sensing as well as other emerging topics.
Biography: David Kunkee received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, in 1995. He joined The Aerospace Corporation in 1995 and is currently a Principal Engineer/Scientist within the Sensor Systems Subdivision. From 2010 to 2014 he was a member of the Environmental Satellite Systems Division as part of the Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS) and Weather System Follow-on (WSF) program offices. From 2006 to 2010 he was a member of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Integrated Program Office (IPO), and led the Aerospace Microwave Sensors and Data Products Department within the NPOESS IPO. From 2002 to 2005 he was the Associate Director of the Radar and Signal Systems Department at Aerospace. Dr. Kunkee has served on several review boards supporting space-based sensors and technology for environmental monitoring and associated mission development.
Dr. Kunkee is currently Vice-Chair of USNC-URSI Commission F and Past-President of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS). He was General Co-Chair of the 2017 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) and served as Co-Chair of the Technical Program Committee for IGARSS 2010 and 2023. From 2007 to 2009 he was Editor-in-Chief of the GRSS Newsletter. Dr. Kunkee has also served on the U.S. National Academies’ Committee on Radio Frequencies (CORF) including its Committee on Scientific Use of the Radio Spectrum..
